I'm not usually a historical fiction fan but this book drew me in with that beautiful yet simple cover. This writing in this book was stunning and hits at all of the emotions as it examines family and love in many different forms.

Historical fiction is rarely my jam, but when I do find one worth reading, I can only hope that this will be truly wonderful. Still Life was amazing! So beautifully written. A must read!

Sarah Winman is such a gifted writer and does not disappoint in Still Life.
Loved the complicated characters and the passage of years in Italy. Would recommend this to anyone whom appreciates great writing and a well plotted story and colorful cast of characters.

What a beautiful novel--one to savor. Still Life is also a love letter to the city of Florence and a special pleasure for the armchair-traveler-reader . I was fascinated by the meaningful and unexpected relationship that grew between a middle-aged art historian and a young British soldier which begins in wartime and lasts decade. Highly recommended.

This book dragged a lot. The long chapters didn't help. My favorite part was the re-imagining of A Room With A View at the very end, but that wasn't enough to save the book.

Thank you to NetGalley & G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

DNF @ 15%

The writing was absolutely beautiful, and I've heard incredible things about this book - but it was way too dense for me at the time I was trying to read it (okay, the three times I tried to read it). Not sure if I just need to have way more headspace to dedicate to it, or if it's just not the book for me - but either way I'm going to be setting it down for now.

I read and loved Sarah Winman's last book, Tin Man. I was hoping I would love this book as well, but unfortunately, that was not the case. I started and stopped and restarted this book numerous times. Each time, I hoped that I would be in a better place to enjoy the beautiful writing. It never happened.
This is a saga that spans many years of individuals, their lives, and how they came together to make a family. The writing is prosaic and beautiful but, I felt like the name of the book was a little too apt. The plot line was "still" and moved too slowly for me.

Still Life was published in early November but I was not ready to review this title until now. That is because I chose to read the novel very slowly as, for me, it was one to savor. This novelist has a unique voice and that comes across loud and clear in this beautiful work.

The title had multiple meanings for me. As there is much about art in the book, it can refer to a classic form of painting, the still life. However, to me, it refers to still, as in on-going, life or still, as in quiet and unmoving. In part, I mean, how people go on when they have faced all that life has to bring to a person, everything from war, to love, to loss, to aging, to relationships to art, to travel, to home and more.

Ms. Winman has her very own authorial voice and this led me to need a bit of time to fully enter the world of the novel. At first, I was distracted by the absence of quotation marks for example. The story also goes through time and a number of locations.

The characters are quirky and unique. I enjoyed getting to know everyone and their connections to one another. Just a few of these folks include:

Ulysses: He survived WWII. What leads him back to Italy?

Evelyn: A gay woman who also survives the war. She is a professor who first met Ulysses on a significant night.

Peg: She was the woman for Ulysses except….

Alys or kid: She is Peg’s child but Ulysses is the one who parents her.

Spend time in this novel. Read it slowly but with enthusiasm. It is special.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Still Life was beautifully written and a captivating store of life, love, and struggle!

Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa. There, he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and recall long-forgotten memories of her own youth. In each other, Ulysses and Evelyn find a kindred spirit amidst the rubble of war-torn Italy, and set off on a course of events that will shape Ulysses's life for the next four decades.

As Ulysses returns home to London, reimmersing himself in his crew at The Stoat and Parot—a motley mix of pub crawlers and eccentrics—he carries his time in Italy with him. And when an unexpected inheritance brings him back to where it all began, Ulysses knows better than to tempt fate, and returns to the Tuscan hills.

With beautiful prose, extraordinary tenderness, and bursts of humor and light, Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family, and a deeply drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms.

The Still Life by Sarah Winman was a great story that had totally involved in the story and wanting more. Great read!

Full review to be published on my IG and GR but as someone who rarely reads historical fiction, this book was an absolute delight! The perfect blend of historical and literary fiction. I enjoyed it more than Tin Man to be honest.

thank you Netgalley and GP Putnam for the digital arc.

Still Life by Sarah Winman opens with two older women sitting in a café in Italy during the final stages of the second World War. The two ladies were lovers long ago but now seem to be acquaintances at best and find themselves in the midst of a conversation about nothing, really. This dropping the reader into an average moment is the pace of most of the novel. We find ourselves in the everyday lives of Ulysses, Evelyn, Alice, Cress, and Peggy. Somehow these everyday moments leave you with a sense of longing and in quiet contemplation of life and the beauty the fills those everyday moments. Characters weave in and out of each other's lives and in and out of places within the novel. There is little here in regard to plot but the characters are painted beautifully--much like the masterworks that fill the novel. That's the quality you are left with in Still Life--it's like a beautiful piece of art.

Courtesy of Netgalley I received the ARC of Still Life by Sarah Winman. Getting into the style and rhythm of this book took me a while, but it was definitely worthwhile. The elegant prose and the eloquence of ideas is timeless. I was swept up in the atmosphere and ambience of this novel, focused the beauty of Florence, it's history, art, food, and people. Centered on the strength of a created family, formed with bonds of friendship and allegiance, the story traces the paths of Ulysses Temper and Evelyn Skinner as their paths meet, diverge, and reconnect. Highly recommended!

Still Life is the perfect title for this book. The author has painted a masterpiece of words depicting the everyday lives of a group of characters bringing the reader into their world. This is a book that I will reread with my iPad close by so I can look up each of the Florentine locations.

I now want a second book that focuses on Evelyn’s life during the two World Wars. Please Sarah Winman, a sequel?

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A brilliantly written story with an unforgettable cast of characters learning to love, create art, and truly live.

Spanning decades, STILL LIFE is the tale of not just one or two people but of all those within their worlds. The richness of the emotions expressed, the scenery described, the art viewed, and the experiences lived within these pages is expertly conveyed through the eloquence of the author's storytelling. Winman will make you laugh, tear up, and honestly feel for all the people you meet in this book.

Though the main focus of the novel is centered around Ulysses Temper and Evelyn Skinner, it is the others in their orbit which make this book so amazing. Cress, Peg, Col, Massimo, Alys, and many others gave the story depth and realness. It is truly a gift to the reader to experience life with this diverse cast. There is not one off-limits aspect in addressing their lives. The examination of love in all forms is beautifully explored through the eyes of the young, the middle-aged, and the old. There are darker moments and loss felt deeply shown with introspection as well as acting out. There is the tragedy of a natural disaster shown through the destruction and the rebuilding. And finally, there is the coming together of two people, Ulysses and Evelyn, to bond their friends and family.

To say that this book is stunning would not do it justice. The tale expressed opens the reader to a rich world filled with art, the effects of war, and the beauty of Tuscany. With unique and unforgettable characters, it is a story showing us all how life is never all good or all bad. It is a journey.

Audiobook Review: How amazing is it that the author, Sarah Winman, is the narrator of this book? She created her story and now the listener gets to experience her breathe new life into her characters. The emotion, the humor, and the overall essence of the narrative come alive. The audiobook completely enhances the experience.

I loved Tin Man and knew Still Life was going to be much different, but still it was not at all what I expected. The story moved very slowly for me and unlike in Tin Man, the characters here just didn't grab me. It was one of those books I'd put down and not pick up again for several days. Finally, after reading over half, I decided it just wasn't the book for me.

Tuscany, 1944, during World War II, Evelyn Skinner, a 64-year-old, is trying to rescue art works and get them into safekeeping. She meets Ulysses Temper, a young British soldier. The war ends, they go back to their respective lives in England. Ulysses takes this meeting and friendship as a sign to help him shape his life.

Following the war, Italian lawyer Massimo gives Ulysses the opportunity to return to Florence. Cressy and Claude, the parrot decide to come along. Evelyn turns up again, and the story goes from there. Forty years of life, some good, some not so good. Ulysses collects people and their lives. Evelyn searches out art works. And, together, they make it work.

The book is not the easiest to read - quotation marks are absent, so one has to pay attention to who is speaking.

This is a novel that grows on you. While the first chapter, taking place in Italy during WWII, is charming, the next few chapters have various characters who I didn't initially love. But that's one of the joys of Still Life, by Sarah Winman. As with a still life painting, the seemingly simple characters reveal hidden depths as the novel progresses. This book covers a long time period, with characters growing up, aging, and (sometimes) dying. This gave me time to get to know the characters, and appreciate how they change and grow over the years.

I also loved this book because of how several characters decide to move from their predictable hometowns to unknown Italy. I loved this, as I have lived in three countries, and hope to add a few more to my list in the future. The idea of searching for a new life is appealing, and shows how resilient people can be, even out of their comfort zone.

What I Liked:

Characters:

The story mostly follows Ulysses, a young British man who begins the story as a soldier in Italy during WWII. Although the circumstances are horrific, with death all around, Ulysses sees the beauty of classic works of art and of kind people he meets along the way. When he returns home to England, he tries to reunite with his wife, and find a way to live a more quiet existence. Much of what happens in Italy is Ulysses trying to find a way to live that is true for himself.

The character of Peg, Ulysses wife, was harder for me to like, as she seemed initially very cruel to Ulysses. Peg's character is complicated with parts of her I hated, and many parts of her I loved. She is fiercely independent, yet yearns for a man to whisk her away and take care of her. She loves her daughter (named Alys), but knows she will be terrible with the day to day care of her. So she lets Ulysses raise Alys. Again, you want to hate that decision, initially. But the author shows that this is actually the right choice for these characters.

I also loved Alys, Peg's daughter. We see her grow from a precocious toddler, to a lonely child among all the grown ups, to a sulky teen, and finally into a strong young person. I loved her story arc! She loves creating art and music. She also is attracted to females. Thinking of the time periods where the story takes place, this was challenging for Alys to find her place in the world. Like Ulysses, she takes a while to find a life that works for her.

Side Characters & Found Family:

There are many characters we are introduced to at the pub where Ulysses works and they all have endearing personalities. There's the pub owner, Col, who's fiercely protecting of his developmentally disabled daughter, Ginny. Cress, an older patron of the pub, always seems to have great advice. And Pete, a piano player at the pub, is full of surprises.

All of these characters make up a found family for Ulysses, and Alys. Like a family, there are loud, opinionated members, people who get themselves into trouble. But, these people look out for one another and would (literally) be the ones to call to bury a body, if the occasion ever arrives.

Impactful meetings:

Ulysses has one of those personalities that people are drawn to. As a soldier, Ulysses meets Evelyn, an older fellow British woman, who briefly shows him the importance of art. He shows her the beauty of life, even in times of terror. This makes quite an impression on both of the characters. Over the course of the novel, they try many times to reconnect, often just missing each other turning a street corner!

Story:

The story starts during WWII and ends in 1979! It covers Ulysses quest (as in the Odyssey) to find a place to call home. But what really makes a home? Is it the geographic area, or the people? There a little bit of both in this story. Ulysses really enjoys Italy. Over time, the people in his section of Florence, are as dear to him as the ones he grew up with back in England. But he also maintains his ties to his oldest British friends. I loved how he was able to take chances, in order to live a more interesting, fulfilling life.

From the opening -- so much time with Evelyn and Margaret -- I did expect it to center on them, and was a little disappointed that they played relatively minor roles. Still, I quite enjoyed it. Thanks for the early read.

This sprawling character driven novel is rich and multilayered, Set in London’s East End and Florence it spans three decades in the lives of a group of memorable characters. It relays the stories of ordinary people and the challenges they face and how their lives intersect and connect. Filled with beautiful descriptions, a vivid depiction of Florence and the importance and appreciation of art the story gathers the reader and transports them to this time and place. Ulysses’s connections and relationships to an assortment of unique individuals that he chooses form a devoted and supportive family that reminds us of the connections that bind us to each other. The historical context, including the great flood of Florence, provided interesting insights to these events in history. Although lengthy and slow paced at times, this was a beautifully written transportive experience.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.